Bleed One Million Stories
by Eruaphadriel
Summary: Finished The Reckoning and dying for more? Follow Chloe and the gang through a series of one-shots that take them through life's finer moments on the run. Each story told from a different point of view. Request a pairing! These stories are for you!
1. Teach Me Something I Don't Know

Hello! Thanks for checking out my soon to be series of short stories! I have worked on many novel length fanfiction stories in the past, but I'm trying a new technique with my writing. I think I'll be able to update far more frequently if I stick to one shots for awhile. Hey, life is hectic, and short stories are always fun to write. So please let me know what you think of my first attempt. If I continue I think I may bump around to various points of view instead of only focusing on Chloe. So leave me some feedback and let me know what you think.

I do not own The Darkest Powers series. Thank you Kelley Armstrong for creating a beautiful world.

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**Bleed One Million Stories**

Teach Me Something I Don't Know

_Chloe & Derek_

There were a lot of things I thought about those first few weeks after we decided to go on the run together. First, and probably most important, was that I needed to somehow contact my Dad and let him know I was ok. Aunt Lauren seemed to think that this was somehow feasible, but Mr. Bae was pretty much against the idea before we even divulged a plan. Secondly I was now stuck in between raging hormones and the fact that Aunt Lauren conveniently seemed to find ways to keep Derek and I separated almost all the time. I get it. Really I do. The whole protect your young from the evil clutches of relationship drama thing; it was like Aunt Lauren had this sixth sense of when to pop up and ruin any chance we had alone together. Thirdly, and probably the worst thought of all, was that I was still being forced to do homework. Yes. Homework. The evil bane of my existence still managed to hunt me down and devour any sense of adulthood I had been feeling when we broke away from the Edison Group.

Oh, it wasn't just me being forced into studying. Both Aunt Lauren and Kit had decided that it was important for us to keep working on school work no matter what sort of danger we may be in. Of course they didn't seem to understand that the homework sessions may end up more lethal then anything we dealt with a few weeks back. At least the Edison Group didn't nag me to death like Tori did when she didn't understand a math equation.

"This is stupid!" Tori threw her text book across the room so that it hit the wall with a hollow thud. "We're vigilante supernaturals and you are making us work on the probability of flipping a stupid coin." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Mr. Bae sighed for what must have been the eighteenth time that afternoon. Honestly, I felt sorry for the guy. He still hadn't been able to tell Tori he was her father, and now he was forced to sit here and listen to her bitch about math homework.

"Tori it's important to know this. An education is important regardless of what sort of being you are. Supernatural or not-"

"I don't _need _math to practice spells! I need a witch to teach me things." She was huffing again, "You know what this means?" She picked up her homework, "It's shit! I need practice if I'm ever going to learn how to control my powers."

Mr. Bae stood from his seat, "And you'll learn those spells once you can master the general education courses that _all _teenagers should go through."

Something else hit the wall in the room, and Tori shrieked out her frustration. This was an every day occurrence, but I kept my eyes glued to my equations and tried to figure out the probability that Mr. Bae would get out of here alive.

Sometime between my focusing and the yelling, Tori had managed to storm out and leave me alone with Mr. Bae. I could see the lines of frustration etch across his face and I lowered my pencil back down.

"For what it's worth, Mr. Bae, I can at least add up the answer without using my fingers anymore." I wiggled my fingers around and grinned, hoping to at least place a brief smile on the mans face.

It worked. He grinned. "Chloe I told you to call me Kit. Mr. Bae is too…formal considering everything we've gone through."

I stifled a small laugh and nodded, though we both knew I'd be calling him Mr. Bae again come dinner time. "I finished these problems." Holding out my homework I let him take it and scan it over. "If you want I can storm out of here too that way Tori thinks you've made me angry." It seemed that when Tori diva'd out of the room and I didn't follow her lead she automatically thought that we were bad mouthing her study habits.

"If you could I'd owe you a very big favor."

I was pulling my bag over my head when the idea came to me. "How big a favor?" I asked, the tone of my voice already hinting at what I wanted.

Mr. Bae looked up from my homework and smiled, taking a moment to study my face before shaking his head. "You two are going to get Lauren very angry."

"But what she doesn't know…" I smiled again, this time feeling my face grow warm. Here I was talking strategic sneak-away tactics with Derek's father. Not exactly the bonding experience I planned on having.

"You better make a really grand departure from this room then." I saw his mouth move the slightest before he was running his hands over my homework. Two hours of diligent work now looked like a mess of numbers and complete failure. "Looks like you need some quiet tutoring."

I mouthed a very soft thank you, and then took a deep breath before turning the doorknob of the motel room. "You are completely stupid! Those answers are right!" I slammed the door open just in time to see Tori coming back from the vending machine. "Maybe you should go back to school! Maybe you are the one that needs to study you stupid incompetent-"

"Chloe!" It was Aunt Lauren's voice that had me squeak out a noise of surprise, and I yelped again when she pulled me into her room. "What in the world has gotten into you?" By now Tori and Mr. Bae had followed in my wake, and when I came to survey my own surroundings I noticed Simon and Derek sitting at my Aunt Lauren's desk with a science text wide open.

"Chloe!"

"What?" I snapped back, realizing to late that it was Aunt Lauren again. Bad Chloe. Stupid stupid Chloe.

"What's going on, Kit? What in the world was the racket about, and why was Chloe yelling like an immature five year old?" She glared down at me and I felt my face flush again. This wasn't the _exact _plan I had hoped for.

Mr. Bae held up his hand to calm Aunt Lauren, and gestured for her to take a seat on the edge of her bed. Once she was settled, and once she stopped glaring at me, he handed her the homework I had been working on and began explaining how _poorly _I was doing.

Somewhere behind me I heard Tori shuffle around until I could feel her breath hit against my ear. "Didn't know you had the bitch in ya, " she paused, "and I didn't think you were dumber than I am." She snorted back a laugh, but stopped when Derek made a noise of disapproval. "Stupid wolf hearing." She mumbled, and then took a step back from me.

"…and that's why I think it would be better on both of our nerves if Chloe sat down with Derek and went over this work."

Not only did Aunt Lauren balk at the suggestion, but Derek looked like someone had just slapped him across the face with a cement block.

"Absolutely not." Aunt Lauren was already on her feet, shaking her head back and forth furiously. "If Chloe needs extra help with her math work then she can take an hour out of her time and sit here with me. She'll have peace and quiet and be able to focus on bettering her skills."

"Lauren you aren't listening to what I'm saying. Chloe isn't grasping the material because it needs to be approached in a different way. She needs peer studying."

I cast a hopeful look in Derek's direction, but he was busy staring down at his knees. It hurt when he did that. Even though we've gone ahead and kissed loads of times it always seemed like he was a million miles away. Now I was beginning to rethink this whole situation. Maybe being alone with Derek would only confirm my worst thoughts. Maybe he decided he really didn't like me. After all I didn't see him coming up with any elaborate plans to meet with me. Here I was being berated by my Aunt for phony disrespectful attitude and he was bust looking at the carpet.

"Simon can do it then."

Before Mr. Bae could say anything Simon had snorted back a laugh. "Look I may not be completely stupid, but I suck at math. Derek is like some geeky math genius. If Chloe's having problems its Derek who can fix it, not me." He held up his hands in defense.

For a second I thought Aunt Lauren was going to start yelling again, or worse, I thought she was going to see through the glamour that Mr. Bae had placed upon my homework. When she looked down at the sheet again, and then back up at Mr. Bae she let out a very slow hissing sound that mixed between angry and defeat.

"One hour." She handed the paper back to Mr. Bae. "And they can stay in here while I-"

"Lauren." Mr. Bae started, his eyebrows lifting in a challenging manner.

"Fine. One hour in your room while I finish my paper work." She turned to look at me. "Chloe, I expect you to have a pristine new copy of your work to give to Mr. Bae when you are done. I want to see all your work written out, and I want every single answer correct." She held out the paper.

I took it without saying anything, my heart hammering against my ribcage the entire time. Aunt Lauren rose from the couch and gestured for Tori to join her across the room where Simon was sitting. She babbled on about going over Science work while Derek gathered his things from the spot on the desk.

"One hour." Mr. Bae reminded us, shuffling us out of the room and back towards his own.

"Where are you going to go?" I asked, the door to his room clicking open as he let us inside.

He shrugged, "I've got some things to take care of. You just make sure you follow your Aunt's rules and get that homework straight." He grinned, winked over my head in what I assumed to be Derek's direction, and then closed the door behind him.

I stood there stupidly for a few seconds, staring at the knob on the door while half expecting my Aunt Lauren to come barging in and ruining everything.

"He locked it with a spell. No one will be able to get in for an hour."

"Oh." I turned, homework still gripped tightly in my hand. "I guess that's to ensure I get the work done, yeah?" I smiled, though felt it falter when he didn't seem to return it.

"What's really going on, Chloe?" He asked, his brow arching up the slightest beneath his unruly dark hair.

"N-nothing I just need some help."

Derek leaned forward and snatched the paper from my hand. I watched him study it intently for a few moments, now feeling stupid that he probably thought I was some math idiot. "Derek you have to understand I thought this would be –"

But before I finished my declaration his mouth pressed against mine. It had been days since we had last kissed, and I lost myself in it almost immediately. I could feel every inch of his body melt against my own, and I kissed him back with a fervor that I didn't even know existed inside of me. Every inch of my skin that wasn't covered puckered with a warm blush; my hands managing to wrap up around his neck until they rested in the back of his hair. I loved kissing him like this. Kissing like no one in the world could ever come between us.

When I gasped for a bit of air and pulled back for a brief second, Derek took this as a much needed time-out and pulled away.

"What was that for?" I breathed, flattening my hair down with the sweaty parts of my hand.

For a second he just stood there and breathed, watching me in an odd silence before breaking into a grin. "Your treat for getting all the answers right." He handed over the sheet of homework.

There was my homework perfectly untouched as it had been when I first handed it to Mr. Bae. Every correct answer, every equation perfectly mapped out with all its perfect little formulas; it was all there. "He must have changed it back for me." I blinked, and then looked up into his face and grinned again. "I guess you'll have to tutor me in something else then?" I tossed the paper back onto the bed.

"You planned all this out just so we could be alone?" And there it was again. That hint of skepticism that had me thinking that he was through with me.

I groaned and slapped my hands against my side, "Yes, Derek! I did this so we could be alone…cause we're never alone anymore! We have to tiptoe around my Aunt every second; we are stuck in these tiny rooms all the time, and now when I think I've finally figured out a way we can at least get one hour together you look at me like I'm crazy."

"Not crazy." He held up his finger against me lips which silenced my coming retort. "I think you are brilliant," He kissed my cheek, "and beautiful" my neck, "and wasting a whole lot of my precious tutelage. " And then I seemed to lose consciousness when he kissed me again.

This time it was less needy and erratic. It was slow and soft and genuinely perfect. I felt my breathing shorten when he pulled me up against him, but I returned his kiss easily; my lips parting just enough to explore the new height of bliss I was feeling. I could have sworn I could feel his heart beating beneath his chest, and I pushed myself against him even more; trying my hardest to eliminate any space between us.

"Hey! Isn't making out with your tutor totally against the rules?" Tori's voice cut through my perfect moment; shattering it into pieces that would need to be mended with a very cold shower.

"I heard it was illegal in thirty two states." Simon chimed in, coming up from behind her.

"Seriously!" I shrieked, glaring at Tori despite the embarrassed red across my cheeks.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Derek was already shooing the two of them back out into the hall.

"Witch…" Tori wiggled her fingers.

"Sorcerer…" Simon puffed out his chest.

"Bullshit Simon! I totally opened that door up."

"Did not! I used that spell I learned from Andrew."

"Liar!"

"Jealous twit."

"You couldn't huff and puff and blow that door down even if your life depended on it."

Their voices became muffled as Derek slammed the door shut again; their voices traveling further down the hall until I couldn't hear them anymore.

"So…" I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "You- um- well you want to get back to studying?" I asked awkwardly; though the corner of my mouth twitched the slightest.

He smirked, "Well…we do have a lot of work to do."

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So what do you think? Leave me a review and request a pairing? Maybe you have a suggestion for a situation? What do you want? What do you think? Leave me some love and I'll be sure to have another short up soon.


	2. Brothers and Sisters

Thank you all so much for reviewing my first installment of Bleed One Million Stories. Like I promised I am going to listen to your requests regarding stories, and I'm pretty sure there was a clear winner this time around. I'm sure by now you've read the title and can guess which storyline I chose to go with. I hope it satisfies your cravings. Stick around to the end of the story for a short A/N thank you session!

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Brothers & Sisters 

_Tori & Simon _

Has your heart ever completed the double beat-stop-die-wait-breathe-pause-double beat-start up again extravaganza? Normally I'm the girl who inflicts that hellish feeling on to someone else. It's a talent that I had perfected over my years of diva world conquest. Never, and I mean _never_, have I experienced the DBSDWBPDBSUA… until right at this moment. To be honest I thought that this was some huge joke that Simon had decided to play on me. Recently things had been going smoothly between the two of us, and that was mostly because Chloe and Derek were always sneaking off somewhere to suck face.

That left me and Simon to come up with ways to entertain ourselves. There had been days back a Lyle house where I would have been internally dying that I was alone with him. All I had ever wanted was for someone as cute as Simon to feel the same way I did. Those days were quickly replaced when I saw how incredibly irritating he could be. It was like listening to myself in boy form half the time, and lets face it…there is only one Tori Enright.

Simon and I had taken up our free time creating comic book adventures for his sketches. Those sessions had developed into ways I could destroy his wimpy heroes and turn them into kick ass witches. Soon we had developed a sarcastic exchange that often resulted in one of us trying to supremely out do the other.

I had to assume that this was Simon's way of trying to win the game for life. Why else would he tell me that he was my brother? It was one thing to knock me down a peg or two with verbal assaults on my looks; my family was another story.

My arms folded over my chest and I glared daggers at him. "That isn't funny Simon." Even though the statement sounded weak my tone was pretty fierce.

Simon's expression didn't waver. "I'm not lying to you Tori. I –" he ran his fingers though his hair. " I overheard my Dad talking to Lauren this morning…early…before we were even supposed to be up."

"Then what were you doing up? Hm? Isn't it a little convenient that you happen to wake up at this perfect time and overhear something so ridiculously insane?" I didn't care that I was screaming. I wanted to scare him. I wanted him to admit he had lost this battle.

_I needed him to admit it. _

Simon opened his mouth, let it hang there for a minute, and then snapped it shut.

"See! I knew it! You're a liar!" By this time my finger was pushing into the middle of his chest; hard.

He batted my hand away. "What the hell am I supposed to say to get you to believe me?" It was one of the few times that I had heard Simon yell. "Why would I come to you and say something that sounds too damn ridiculous even to me!" He hit his own chest.

By now my heart was breaking into a hundred pieces. Could it be true? Could the sorcerer four rooms over somehow be my Father?

"No!" I yelled again, still determined to keep some of my dignity. I wouldn't let Simon beat me at this. Then again I didn't really know what he was trying to beat me at.

"Fine! Then why don't you go ask him? You want to challenge me so much then why don't challenge the man that could clarify the truth for you?"

Something in the back of my head was pleading with me not to go. The voice kept saying things like: _Come on Tori you know you should just go find Chloe. Don't do it Tori. Ignore Simon, Tori!_

I stormed by him and marched out the door and into the hallway. I passed Lauren's room, and then passed the empty room that separated Mr. Bae's room from the one I shared with Chloe. I could hear Simon behind me, somehow keeping up even though I felt like I had just sprinted down the hall in less then two seconds. I could have knocked to make this display more polite, but that wasn't exactly my forte when it came to confrontation.

Mr. Bae was sitting on his bed looking over some papers. From what I could see it was the list of names I had given him the night we escaped from the Edison Group.

"Is it true?" I could have explained the entire story, but when Simon barged in behind me I was pretty sure Mr. Bae knew what I was talking about.

For a really long minute no one said a single word. I could count each exhale Simon let out, and Mr. Bae was busy stacking up the papers he had laid out on the bed in front of him. When I began shaking from the mixture of emotions, and when Mr. Bae finally seemed content on his paper stacking abilities, I watched him rise up from the bed and move to the desk across the room; the same desk he had been teaching me math at for three whole weeks.

"Yes."

And that was it. No heart felt look or sincere apology. He said yes and I felt my life dissolve right there in the room. Ok, maybe that is being a bit overdramatic, but I couldn't stand there and really believe that my dad, my REAL dad, would just stand there and admit it and then stare off into nothingness. It hurt. And so I did what I did best.

"How dare you!" I screamed, grabbing at my hair and pulling down on it. "How dare you stand there and say it's true and not look at me! Look at me!" I screamed again, this time as my hands went up to pull my hair Simon wrapped his fingers around my wrists and held me down.

That was all I needed.

I didn't feel the first sign of magic slip out of me until Simon was being launched across the room. He hit the wall and then groaned when he bounced onto the floor. I could feel Mr. Bae trying to bind me with his magic, but I whipped up my hand and somehow blocked it before he could complete the spell.

"Tori please…just sit down and I'll explain why I didn't say-"

"Why you didn't say what? That I _was _your daughter? For weeks I have been crying over the death of my mother, and all you worried about was teaching me idiotic math equations! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Sparks flew out of my fingertips.

He was approaching me before I could stop it, hands wrapping around my shoulders as he steadied me on my feet.

"Tori, I didn't even know about you until I started looking for Simon and Derek again. I didn't know, sweetheart!"

"Don't you dare sweetheart me! Don't touch me!" I yanked away from his grasp, but he held too tight.

Simon had run out into the hallway, probably to grab Lauren or Chloe to try and calm me down. It wouldn't have mattered. At this point I don't think anything could have changed the extreme agony my heart was enduring. Fancy that, huh? Tori Enright bitch extraordinaire, defeated by a man who simply told her he was her father. It sounded so lame.

"Tori please!" Mr. Bae pleaded; or well, my _dad_, pleaded.

I only glared.

"If I had known about you I would have done everything in my power to find you, to help you get out of that place. And when I did find out about you I was as much worried for you as I was for my sons. I – " He down, " I have wanted to tell you, to be there for you over these weeks…and I tried, honey, I tried to tell you but I didn't want it to come out wrong – to come out like this. Victoria you are my daughter and I want you to understand that I'm sorry I wasn't there to love you all those years you needed loving."

It was all I could take.

"Screw off."

I shoved his hands off of me; though I didn't really think he was holding on to tight. If he had really wanted me to stay he would have found a way to keep me there for as long as possible.

By the time I was storming out the door Simon was returning with Lauren and Chloe. I figured Derek wouldn't be far behind, and so as I pushed passed them all I merely glared and kept on walking until I reached the back of the motel.

No one followed me. I didn't really think anyone would.

I found a patch of grass, sat myself down, and cried.

I wasn't really sure how long I had been sitting in the same spot mulling over the truth of my paternity. It felt like hours but it could have been minutes. All I was certain of was that I had cried myself dry long ago. The spot behind the motel was pretty desolate. A few benches lined the small yard before the wooded area took over and engulfed the site. It wasn't exactly the most visually stimulating place to hang out so I wasn't worried about some stranger stumbling upon me.

Something along the edge of the woods caught my attention and for a second I was back on the run from the Edison group. As angry and hurt as I was I didn't want to be put in that situation again so I readied myself for a spell. When it turned out to be a rabbit, probably more startled then I was, I sighed out in relief and lowered my hand.

"Dangerous animals those rabbits. Should be careful."

I pressed my eyes shut. Not Simon. Not right now.

"Please go away Simon." I didn't dare turn my gaze up to meet his.

"Look its either me or my Dad –" he paused awkwardly, "so I figured I was the safer choice, ok."

For once I didn't want to argue with him so I let him sit beside me. The silence was overwhelming and uncomfortable.

"I'm not a child Simon. It's not like I have anywhere to run off to so you can just go back to them and tell them I'll come back when I'm –"

"I'm sorry you didn't know sooner."

The rest of my words hung on the tip of my tongue as I turned to look at him. _He _was sorry? What the hell did he have to be sorry for? It wasn't like he had been the one to keep this secret from me.

"I'm sorry I found out at all." It came out bitter and childish, but I didn't really care.

He shifted there beside me, sighed, and then pushed himself up from the ground. "Ok then…I just wanted to see – nevermind."

The voice inside my head was scolding me again. I really needed to stop hanging around Chloe. I never felt guilty about anything until her goody goody crap started rubbing off on me.

"Simon wait." I dropped my knees to the side and swiveled around so I could look at him. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to take anything out on you. I know this isn't your fault."

It seemed like that was enough for him to walk back and sit next to me again. The silence kicked in again. It was getting close to lunch time and my stomach growled loud enough to ward off a nearby sparrow.

"You should come inside. Get something to eat." He chimed in, breaking the symphony of my stomach pangs.

"Do you think he didn't want me?" I choked out, not even realizing that I had started crying again until the tears hit the palms of my hands. "Is that why he didn't tell me? Cause he didn't really want me?"

I didn't have to look at him to sense the awkwardness. "My Dad isn't like that Tori. He's a great Dad. If he had known about this before we were even taken into the Lyle house I'm sure we'd have come to get you."

"Then why did he wait until I confronted him? Is it that hard to love me?" I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my forehead down. "My mother didn't want me…my father didn't want me and now…the only reason I'm here is because you guys got stuck with me. If Chloe didn't feel guilty all the time you and Derek would have let me fend for myself a long time ago."

I could feel him inch closer, and this time when he brushed up against me I didn't pull away. His hand rested down on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry it came out like this, Tori, and I'm sorry that you've had to deal with a lot of – well – your mother wasn't exactly a sane person, was she?" That worked a snort out of me. "And we might have wanted to hang you up by your hair all those times on the run, but now we have to stick together."

"Because you are stuck with me." I sniffed, fighting back more tears.

"No, because you're family and that's what families do. We stick together." He stifled a short laugh, "I'm not saying we're the most cookie cutter Brady Bunch sort of clan, no…somehow I can't imagine Derek giving you brotherly noogies after a family reunion…but we _are_ family, Tori."

My face was blotchy and tear stained, I could feel it when I lifted my head from my knees and the cool breeze whipped across it. "This is weird." It was all I could get out, but it got Simon to grin broadly.

He shrugged, "Well we're a weird genetically modified family…what can I say."

Later on when I finally regained my logical thinking I knew I'd wonder what in the world possessed me in that moment, but right there in my illogical mind I leaned forward and hugged him. I hugged Simon Bae. Simon Bae; my brother. I think I had thrown him for a scare because his arms remained rigid at his sides for a solid ten seconds. I guess after he realized I wasn't going to be vaporizing him with some spell he wrapped his arms around my frame and hugged me back.

"I always wanted a sister." He snorted again, finally pulling away so we could look at each other.

"Yeah?" I wiped at my eyes which were still puffy and teary.

"Yeah," he proclaimed, "I mean now I can really annoy the hell out of you and it's totally legit. Every time you drive me crazy I can just promise to cast some awful spell on future boyfriends. I always needed someone to do my laundry too…Derek's great and all, but girls know how to separate whites and colors and junk. You could start cooking for me…" His eyes glazed over, "And when you have sleepovers you can invite over some of your hot friends that I can hit on…"

I shoved him in the arm though I couldn't suppress the smirk that had managed to slip onto my features.

"Come on," he pushed himself up again, this time holding out his hand to help me up from the ground. "Let's go get something to eat and then you can go yell at my Dad…our dad…ya know about keeping secrets and stuff. Then you can start pulling all that Daddy's little girl guilt trip stuff on him so he takes you on a shopping spree…"

Reaching up for his hand I smiled, wrapped my fingers through his, and then pulled incredibly hard. The jolt yanked me up to my feet but pulled Simon down to the ground causing him to get a face full of dirt.

"What the hell was that for?" He called after me; a smile on my own face as I walked back towards the motel.

"Just the beginning of the fifteen years of annoying sisterly conduct I have to make up for." His grumble reached my ears even as I approached the front of the motel, and as he jogged up beside me moments later I shoved him out of the way so I could enter our Dads room first. Maybe getting used to this would be easier then I expected.

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I would really like to thank those who went out of their way to leave a review for me! MelKitty, you were the very first review! Thanks! Thanks to Jamie Kay Huntt, MorbidMandy, not-so-innocent011 and Emmoria for giving my ego a boost to write another story in such a speedy manner! To Anastasia815, I think I'm definitely sensing a Chloe gets jealous of Derek/new girl fic. GREAT idea! Darker.., Ranger's Only Girl, vampiremom1221, burning.. and emotionless-robot, you all gave me stellar ideas for this Tori/Simon story, and I can't wait to continue.

Thank you all so much and be sure to leave a review and some more things that YOU want to see happen!


	3. Changing

I LOVE you all. Seriously! You have made these short stories so much fun to write because of your reviews and personal suggestions! This time I chose to go with another Derek/Chloe story, but it features a bit of the every so sassy Tori. Thank you all so much for the reviews! I wont babble any longer. On with the next edition:

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Changing

_Derek & Chloe_

"_The thing is, well, I'm not really that upset over any of it." _

"_That's a good thing. I mean it's ok if you feel weird about it, but it's a real good thing that you are not upset." _

"_Thanks for sitting here with me Chloe. It feels good having you around." _

_A giggle. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Simon. I like hanging around you. You make things less…" she waved here hand, "dramatic for me." _

I still had that image of them sitting together burning behind my eyes. It wasn't the way Simon was acting towards her, no. It was the way she was responding to him. Hanging on the edge of every single word he said; moving closer to him without really taking notice that she was doing it; I hated it. He'd smile at her, and she'd brush her hand against his leg. I could have been reading into this, but my gut was telling me things I had suspected all along. It wasn't _me _that Chloe liked being around; it was the guilt she must have felt _if _she didn't hang around with me.

The more primitive animal inside of me snorted a laugh, reminding me that it had been Chloe who had kissed me first all along. A pity kiss. That's all it could have possibly been. Why else would someone like Chloe pursue someone like me?

It had been this way since I was a eleven and Simon decided to grow out of his awkward pre-teen phase. All the girls who I liked in school would seek me out in the hallways just to get Simon's number.

"_You're Simon Bae's brother, right? Could you give him this?" _

It was a list of girls' names and phone numbers. Classy.

They never actually spoke my name or asked me how I was doing. No one ever came up to me and handed me a phone number asking for _me _to call them back. It was Simon; always Simon. And I never hated him because of it. Who would want to be seen walking with a monstrous awkward teenager like me? If I had been capable of crawling out of my own skin and running away from myself I probably would have been gone years ago. Unfortunately a werewolf only sprouted new hair and heightened senses…skin shedding was left for snakes.

But Chloe had spoken my name those few times we were together. And Chloe had never asked for Simon when we were alone. All Chloe ever did was ask how _I _was, and how _I _was holding up. Of course half the time I was yelling at her, and honestly I regretted those moments every time I saw the defeated look in her face, but she still asked. Always pretended to care. It was why I felt the need to protect her every time we got into trouble. Had I known that those instincts would develop into something more I would have laughed. Now when I thought about her with Simon the only thing I felt was the rush of jealous green-eyed anger.

I had to Change.

It was easier to do this when Chloe was with me, but I wasn't going to bother her while she was _bonding _with Simon. They were still sitting in the far end of the hallway when I slipped out of my room and made a quick getaway behind the motel. I was quiet. They didn't sense me. Even if they did I wondered if Chloe would have even followed me. She seemed too wrapped up laughing at whatever Simon had just said to her.

The Changes didn't come easier now that I had finally completed it. It still hurt like hell to feel my body morph into something that genetically didn't make sense. As I peeled off my clothes and tucked them behind one of the trees I imagined what life would have been like had I not had this condition. Would I have ever been taken in by Kit? Would I have been the reason we were always on the run? Would I have ever met Chloe?

Chloe. It always came back to Chloe.

Just thinking of her sitting there with Simon made my temper flare, and I instinctively got down on all fours and braced myself for it to happen. It was excruciating at first, bones twisting in ways that made me want to curl up and die right there on the spot. I breathed through it, disregarding the vomit that usually came with the twisting and altering of my body.

When I opened my eyes again everything looked different; more alive. The scent of the woods pelted me and I shook my head in order to get accustomed to what I was feeling. I was a wolf. Though some vague part of me remembered being human I somehow felt incredibly at ease once the change was over. I stretched my body; head dipping down to inhale the dirt beneath my paws. Like this I felt invincible. I felt strong.

I pounced around in the same spot for a few moments while I gathered myself, and then I ran. Dodging the brush and rocks on the ground was simple, and I doubled back easily when I caught the scent of a rabbit nearby. I still wasn't sure how animalistic I could be; only wanting to catch the rabbit. But when I caught it, tail between my claws, I felt the need to rip it apart; a sense in me that I had never experienced before. And so I indulged. To be honest I didn't feel guilty once I was through. Instead I buried the remains of the carcass beneath a bush and began trotting back towards the direction of the motel.

Something to the left of me had me halt mid step, and I inclined my muzzle in the direction of the noise. The rabbit I killed could have had many other companions in the woods, but the noise I could hear was much heavier then rabbit hops. I waited, half expecting something much larger to come lunging at me from behind the brush. When nothing came, and when I was fairly sure I was only hearing things I took another few steps forward. The noise came again, and this time I inhaled deeply to catch the scent of whatever else might have been lurking in the dim of the trees.

I knew what it was the moment it registered, and I tried to hurry back into the brush before she found me.

"Derek?"

I closed my eyes; half hoping she'd miss my form and head back towards the motel. I should have known better. This was Chloe after all.

Her steps moved closer to my hiding spot, and I waited in silence until she was a mere few feet in front of me. Her eyes scanned the brush around us, and as she passed over me I could have sworn I was in the clear. Then her hands settled on her hips and she swung back in my direction.

"I know your there." The assertiveness in her voice ushered a low grumble of a laugh from me, and I pushed through the thick and into view.

For a moment we just stared at each other, Chloe with her hands on her hips and me in my monstrous form that she pretended she didn't mind. Did she mind? What normal girl would accept a guy who was a genetically modified beast?

Chloe took a few steps forward and kneeled down in front of me. Her scent was so damn intoxicating that I moved my muzzle to the side and downwind from the breeze. It was moments like this that I wanted to leap at her. I didn't want to hurt her; never. It was just something about being in this body that made my hormones crazy for her. I gave a nod of my head back in the direction of the motel and began trotting away before she could reach out and brush her fingers through the thick of my fur.

In silence we walked, every now and then I could feel her eyes glimpse in my direction. On nights I changed in front of her we often teased each other with mock chases and wild tackles. During those moments Chloe had always been chatty and giggly with me. The silence seemed to ring my heart so hard that I found it difficult to breathe. This was what she had come out here to do. She was going to tell me that it was too much and she wanted to go back to being friends. I just didn't think I'd be able to do that as easily as she could.

When we reached the spot where I had left my clothes I nodded at them, and Chloe continued off through the woods towards the motel. I braced myself for the Change back. Sometimes changing back hurt more then the initial change, and when I felt the fur recede I gasped for a fresh gulp of air. It hit my lungs hard and I doubled forward which caused my fingers to dig into the dirt.

I didn't dress immediately; instead I took my time regaining myself before grabbing for the track pants I had been wearing. I slipped them on over my shorts and then grabbed the tee Lauren had insisted she buy for me. As I started pulling it over my head I made my way through the trees and out into the yard where Chloe was waiting for me.

"Why didn't you call me?" She asked, the hurt apparent in her voice just enough that I was glad I didn't look at her as the shirt went up over my head.

I shrugged, "You looked busy." Which was the truth. She had been laughing and flirting with Simon mere minutes ago.

"I wasn't busy, Derek. I was with Simon." It came so casually off her tongue that for a second I almost believed her.

I shrugged again, this time walking by her towards the front of the motel.

"Wait! Where are you going? I thought- "she paused, " I thought we could do something…talk and stuff."

My eyes pinched shut before I turned to face her, and when I opened them again I felt that heated urge in my stomach that insisted I close the distance and show her just how I felt. I somehow managed to refrain.

"You don't have to do anything with me if you don't want to, Chloe. I don't need you to feel sorry for me or pity me or any of that other stuff you seem to do just because you feel obligated."

The look she gave me was the equivalent as if I had slapped her across the face. I lowered my gaze to the ground.

"I don't do any of those things because I feel like I'm obligated!" She shot back, storming forward so that she was standing inches from me. The heat coming off her body sent my mind tumbling into a whirlwind.

She wasn't going to admit it. I'd have to do it for her. "Look I saw you with Simon, ok. I saw you smiling and joking and happy, and I don't want you to give that up just because you're confused about what you may be feeling towards me."

Again the slapped across the face look hit me dead on, and when I looked down into her eyes I felt like the biggest jerk known to man.

"How dare you." It came out low and accusing. "How dare you go ahead and push this off on me, Derek. I haven't done anything wrong or anything out of my own free will, and you stand there and toss all these accusations at me like I'm some flighty school girl."

The shove she gave me actually sent me stumbling, and I watched her storm back towards the motel. I didn't have to strain to hear her muffled tears; they managed to slice through me and mutilate my insides far worse then any pain the Change could bring.

I didn't follow her like some lovesick Romeo. Chloe wasn't like that, and when we fought it was usually better to just let things cool down for awhile before either of us confronted the other. I made my way back to my room awhile later, but before I could even close the door a hard object pelted me in the face.

"What is _wrong _with you?" Tori stood in the center of my room, her eyes blazing.

"Hello Tori." I grumbled out, closing the door all the way and moving to the bathroom where I could wash my hands and face.

"Don't _hello Tori _me, Derek! Do you have any idea what I have just sat through?" She followed me into the bathroom.

I turned on the water, "Obviously not, and even if I did I'm fairly sure you'd start bitching about it anyway." The water was cool as I brought it up over my face.

"You are a complete idiot, do you know that? A complete assho-"

When I glanced at her through the reflection in the mirror she halted on her last word. I grabbed a towel and dried my face. "Just tell me what you want to tell me without the accusations, Tori. I have stuff to do."

"Oh!" She threw her hands dramatically up in the air as I walked passed her, "Sorry you have _stuff _to do. I didn't know the life of a werewolf jerkface was so time consuming. Let me break it down easy for you then…just incase your feeble wolfy mind is working too hard to comprehend it!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever you said to Chloe earlier had her in tears for over a half hour! She couldn't even get it out without me dragging it out!"

"Shocker." I mumbled, but let it end there when she glared at me.

"When I finally did manage to get some of it out she said you told her to go pursue Simon. Simon! The guy that she doesn't give a damn about- well" she paused, "she gives a damn but not in the _hey lets go make out _sense."

"Tori I don't want to talk about this with you." I reached for a book on the desk, but she batted it out of my grasp.

"You are mental. That girl," she pointed in the direction of their room, "is so completely consumed with you and you stand there and tell her to shove off! Do you know how much that hurt her? For her to think that the boy she likes thinks so little of her!"

I growled out a noise, "Look I saw her with Simon earlier, and the looks she gave him – I'm not right for her Tori. She was all girly and stupid with him, and I don't want her to feel obligated-"

"Oh my God you are jealous."

At this Tori grabbed her stomach and fell back onto my bed in laughter.

"What?" It came out harsh and loud, but she continued laughing.

"The big bad wolf is jealous of his bleach blonde younger brother." She barked out another laugh.

"Get out of my room, Tori."

Sniffing back another laugh she sat up and looked at me. "Are you seriously jealous of _Simon, _Derek?" She slapped her hand on her forehead and looked at me. When I didn't answer her eyes grew wide. "Oh geez you two are the most pathetic couple in the history of couples." She shook her head.

"Go." I moved across the way and picked her up from the spot.

"Just wait just wait…" She squirmed, letting me lower her down so she could move towards the door. When she reached it and grabbed the knob she turned to look at me. "Look I don't usually sit back and give a crap about anyone else's stupid life, but listen to me on this one. Chloe sees no one but you. If she's hanging out with Simon its because she cares about him like a brother- but you… geez Derek that girl is so insanely heads over for you its practically nauseating." With that she opened the door and left me to stand in the middle of my room feeling just as foolish as I had earlier.

I didn't go to dinner when Lauren came to my room that night. I didn't even bother joining up with them when they decided to venture to the local deli for ice cream. Instead I kept myself holed up in my room with the lights dim while I thought about everything I had seen that morning; and everything Tori managed to blurt out before I made her leave.

They were due back soon, and before I changed my mind I got up and headed towards the girls room. I'd wait there until Chloe got back and then we'd talk. We had to talk. It was either that or blow the one thing in my life that hadn't thoroughly sucked lately.

I reached their room and used the spare key to let myself in. I hadn't expected to see Chloe sitting there in the middle of her bed looking like she had been crying for hours. She began wiping furiously at her face, and then turned on her side so I couldn't see her. I sighed, closed the door, and then locked it behind me.

"Can we talk?" I asked quietly, my voice calm despite the mixture of emotions that were pummeling me.

"No. Go away."

I stepped closer. "Chloe I want to explain…"

"Go away Derek."

"Please…"

She didn't face me, but a pillow flung up from over her side in my general direction. "Go away!"

I stood there awkwardly again, trying hard to figure out why I continued to make things so difficult for us.

"I screwed up."

She snorted back a laugh.

"Chloe please look at me." It may have been the desperation in my tone, but she inched her body over just enough so she could see me out of the corner of her eye.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

She snorted back another noise. "I'm sorry isn't going to cut it, Derek. I'm sick and tired of you thinking that I'm with you because I feel sorry for you. You know what I think…I think you need to get over yourself because its becoming pathetic."

"I know."

The break of silence filled us again and I took a chance and stepped towards her again. "Chloe please…"

"Why would you ever think that I was with you out of pity, Derek? Have I ever given you the impression that I was that sort of girl? That I'd go sneaking off with _Simon _behind your back like some common twit? I just –" she sighed, her words cutting off as she choked back a sob.

I ran my fingers up through my hair, my brain desperately trying to find the right thing to say to her. Of course my lack of experience in relationships wasn't making this easy for me. I should have talked to Simon about this sort of thing before I apologized. Maybe then I would have known what to say without standing here and bumbling around like an idiot.

"I was jealous of him, of Simon." There, I admitted it. Admitting it was the first step, right?

Apparently it must have worked because she turned even more so she could look at me.

"Jealous of Simon? Why in the world would you be jealous of Simon?" She blinked back her tears; tears that I had caused because I couldn't get over the feeling that somehow I wasn't worth her time.

I faltered, conjuring up the right way to tell her everything, "I just – you know how I – damn Chloe…" I shook my head, "I'm not good at all this. I don't know how relationships work, and I don't know what I'm doing half the time. All I know is that when I'm with you everything seems like its going to be ok, but I still cant comprehend why you'd choose me over him."

"Derek I-"

"And today I saw you smiling and laughing with Simon. I saw him touch you and you didn't mind. I just – I can't stand to think that one day you are going to wake up and realize that you've made the wrong choice; that you want to be with Simon. I don't think I can take it. I wouldn't be able to."

I didn't know when I had taken a seat on the edge of her bed, but my back was to her as I felt the mattress shift. I could feel her there behind me; making my mind race into things completely inappropriate at a moment like this.

"So you were just jealous of me being there with Simon?" There was a hint of a smile in her tone, "You thought I was going to come find you and tell you I wanted to date _him?_" She mused; I kept my eyes locked on my hands.

"Most girls don't date werewolves." I retorted; eyes still on my hand. "and I don't want you to think that you need to pretend to like me. I'll be fine if you want to change your mind. I'd rather be alone and watch you be happy then make you suffer…" She reached around and clasped her hand down over my mouth.

She sighed, head resting on top of my own, "Derek Souza; always the damn martyr." I felt her lips touch the top of my head and a shaky breath of relief flooded me. "My feelings are never going to change for you Derek. I want you to know that. They'll never change."

I reached up behind me, my hand managing to find the side of her face as she rested her chin against my head. "We're young; change is inevitable."

"Maybe…" She kissed the top of my head again, " but not this sort of change."

I smiled.

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One more time; THANK YOU! Please keep your reviews and suggestions coming! Any suggestion you make will definitely be worked into a future chapter so feel free to really get your creative minds flowing. I hope you all enjoyed this mushy fluff, and I apologize for the length. Derek is a very deep charrie to write up. Love to you all and please leave a little love of your own! OH! And just because my curiosity has been killing me please let me know what country you are from when you review. Ive noticed a lot of foreign countries in my Traffic tab, and I think thats supremely awesome! I hope to have the next installment up by Friday!


	4. The Pack

Hi everyone. Sorry I failed on updating as frequently as I wanted to. I teach High School so it became difficult for me to find time once classes started. Anyway, here is another short story for all you lovelies. This chapter kind of intrigued me however and I'm thinking of turning it into a full length novella. Let me know if you'd be interested.

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**Chapter 4: The Pack**

Dad had said something about the Cabal eventually meeting up with us. He had said that when they did we would be in for something beyond what the Edison Group was like. According to my Dad the Cabal wasn't likely to let us get away so easily this time. If they found us, which was inevitable, they would want to get custody of Chloe in particular. He said they'd probably just want me dead. Not much use for a genetically modified werewolf. Of course my Dad was always the optimistic type. He said he had a couple of connections throughout the supernatural world that would most likely aide us if need be.

That was where we were heading now. It was why most of us were quiet in the back of the van. Not because we were heading off to a stranger's home, but because the home we were headed to happened to somehow be affiliated with a Cabal. Simon had not stopped asking questions once we got in the van, and with every reply from my Dad I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. It was only Chloe's reassuring hand on my knee that kept me from leaping to the front seat and stopping us from pending doom.

"So how do you know her then?" Simon asked again from the front.

"I told you, Simon, we had a run in a few years ago." Kit started, "Paige isn't the typical witch. She helps people like us. Her husband is a Cortez…part of a Cabal. They promised to help protect you children while Lauren and I go look for some further clues with another mutual contact."

"Well it sounds like another trap to me." Simon muttered, turning to cast me and Chloe a look. Tori was sleeping soundly in the far back of the van.

Kit sighed, pulling the van onto the off ramp. "I don't expect you guys to take this easily. After everything the Edison Group has pulled it probably does sound like another trap." We stopped at a red light and Dad turned around to look between all of us again. "Can you guys trust me on this one?"

"Ok." I didn't realize I had been the one to say it until Chloe looked up at me with wide eyes.

"You can't be serious, Derek!" Simon chimed up, "Out of anyone of us you should be the most skeptical."

I shrugged, "I trust Dad. If he says these people won't hurt us then I trust them." Well, trust was a very loose term. Basically what I meant was that I wouldn't attack them if they dared look at any of us in the wrong way.

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence as we drive through the quiet streets towards our final destination. Somewhere within the last twenty minutes Chloe had fallen asleep against my shoulder. Lauren and Dad whispered a lot in the front while Simon continued to stare out the window of the van. He looked less then pleased.

About an hour later we were pulling up in front of a quaint looking house. For some reason I had half expected to pull up in front of an old warehouse or some place that looked like a secret laboratory. Before we even managed to get out of the van the front door was opening and a very pretty woman was coming down the steps towards us. My protective instincts went up immediately and I pushed Chloe behind me just incase this wasn't exactly everything Dad had said it was going to be.

"Kit," the woman smiled and held out her hand for a shake, "I'm glad you finally made it. I hope there was no trouble."

My Dad smiled back and began shaking his head, "No, we weren't followed. I made sure of it by taking an extra long route."

The woman nodded again and then turned towards the group of us. For a second her eyes lingered on Simon and then she turned to Lauren; extending her hand again. "You must be Lauren. Kit told me about you while we spoke over the phone."

Lauren looked a bit taken back by this, but returned the gesture with her own smile. "Thanks so much for taking us in like this, Paige." Lauren then waved her hand towards the van. I still felt overly protective of everyone so I shoved the lot of them behind my massive form.

Dad just laughed a bit, "And this is obviously Derek." He gave me a look that told me to stop acting like some sort of soldier. "Come on now Derek…"

I didn't want to move away from them, especially because I had no idea who this person was or how far I could trust her. After all we had trusted Andrew and that turned out to be a disaster. I felt Chloe shove me from behind and reluctantly I moved forward to where my Dad and Lauren were standing.

"This is my son, Derek." He introduced me to Paige first and then did the quick go around before Paige began escorting us into the house. Everyone hustled forward, ready to be taken into a warm safe house; I grabbed for Chloe's hand and pulled her back towards me.

"What?" She giggled a bit as her tiny frame crashed against my larger one.

I sighed, eyes going up to scan Tori as she was the last person to slip into the house. "I just don't like this. I mean-" I held my breath.

Chloe met my gaze and gave me that soft small smile that I knew she saved just for me. "You don't trust them do you?" She reached up and brushed my hair out of my eyes, "Don't you trust your Dad?"

I shrugged again, "I don't know who to trust." I could see the hurt wash immediately across her face. "No, I mean I trust you and Simon…even Tori. I just don't know if I can ever trust anyone else." I lowered my eyes and stared at a spot on the driveway.

"You'll never stop worrying, will you?" She perched herself up on her tiptoes and kissed my jaw. "Come on…my Aunt's likely to come out here in a panic thinking we've been kidnapped again." She shrugged on my hand and for some reason I let her drag me up the rest of the driveway and into the house.

When we got inside I expected to see my Dad and everyone still settling into Paige's hospitality. Instead I was met by the sight of Tori and another girl sprawled on the floor in what looked like some childish hair pulling fight.

"Savannah you need to stop!" Paige was yelling; a man running down the stairs and finally pulling the other girl off of Tori.

"I don't want another witch here, Paige!" Savannah yelled and struggled against Lucas' grip.

"And I don't want to share a room with a self absorbed spoiled rotten-" Tori was brushing her shirt off, but before she could finish her sentence Lauren was clamping her hand over Tori's mouth.

I knew before anyone told me that Savannah was also a witch. Just the way she glared at Tori had me questioning whether or not the girl was safe to be around. Again I instinctively pushed Chloe behind me. I didn't realize that it was something I'd probably be doing for the rest of my life; protecting her that is.

The commotion died down as soon as Savannah got a good look at me but before any introductions could be given the girl snorted back a laugh and pointed in my direction.

"Does Jeremy know your harboring a werewolf, Paige?" She cast the older woman a look.

Paige sighed, "Savannah there are bigger things going on then letting Jeremy know about Derek."

Savannah seemed to size me up, "Derek, hm…" She looked over me again, and then turned towards Paige. "I'll be in my room." And that was that. The girl turned and went up the staircase without so much as another word.

Paige shook her head, "Sorry about Savannah. She's a little territorial."

My Dad merely nodded and then moved us all into the sitting room so he could talk privately with the other adults in the kitchen. We all mutely agreed to his wishes and settled into the room where the soft warm couches were far more welcoming then the crowded van we'd been traveling in.

"Are you ok" Chloe's whispered voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I gave her half a shrug.

Simon and Tori had begun arguing about what to watch on the television while Chloe snuggled in closely at my side. It was the only sense of reassurance I had as we sat there in the strange house. The strange house my Dad and Lauren planned on leaving us in for a couple of days. I still didn't like it. No matter how much my Dad trusted Paige I didn't know how much I trust _I _could put into them.

The silence between all of us was heavy and unsettling, but we continued to sit there as Tori finally settled on an episode of CSI. I didn't know which episode or season this particular one was, but Chloe seemed to recognize it and began analyzing the dialogue with Simon. I sat there on the couch and surveyed the room we were sitting in. It seemed nice. Everything about the house seemed warm and welcoming but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. We just weren't in the right place. It was the werewolf instinct in me.

About an hour or so into the second episode my Dad came strolling back into the room with a smile etched into his features. He seemed to be more then pleased with the adult discussion, and began filling us in on the plan he had with Lauren, Paige and the man we had been introduced to as Lucas.

"Lauren, Paige and I will be heading out to California to try and pick up Rae." He held up his hand before any of us could protest our lack of involvement. "I know you all want to be a part of that, but we'd feel much safer if you all stayed here with Lucas under his supervision. If the Cabal is still pursuing you at least Lucas' presence here will stop them from doing anything rash."

It would have been pointless for any of us to argue. I could see the look in my Dads face that said this decision wasn't up for discussion. So I lowered myself into my seat even more and stared off across the room.

"We are going to head out straight away so we don't waste any time. I want to be back here as soon as possible which means you kids are to be trusted enough to sit still and wait for us to come back. We all agreed that once we have any information we'll call you from a safe point."

His words were lost on me as I continued to stare out the window. I hated the thought of sitting here while my Dad went off to do something dangerous. With my strength and abilities he should have at least considered taking me along. I was older then the other three and could prove to be an advantage if things got out of hand. I don't know whether or not Chloe sensed my anger because she silently slipped her tiny hand into my rough larger one.

The nighttime came faster then expected and the adults were piling into the van while we all watched from the front of the house. Savannah, the girl from earlier, didn't bother coming down to say goodbye to Paige. I figured she was still trying to keep her distance from Tori. Hell, I shouldn't have been complaining. She didn't exactly seem like the type that wanted to sit down and share stories.

Lucas was kind enough to fix us all some dinner, and then when we finished he showed us where we could crash for the next few days. Once again Simon and I were holed up in a small room complete with two beds and a full bathroom attached. The girls were given a similar room across the hall. Savannah's room had been moved to the attic for the time being.

"You ok, bro?" Simon voiced up as we both sprawled out on our beds.

I stared up at the ceiling unsure of my own answers. "I guess. Just don't like the thought of Dad going off to find Rae without us."

"Yeah, bummer of a deal, but he'll be back before we even know he's gone. At least here we get to shower and sleep in a bed." Simon had made his opinion of sleeping in the van very clear over the last few days of travel.

There was a soft knock on the door and Simon, who was closest, got up and opened it enough for me to sense it was Chloe before she even said anything.

"Can I talk to Derek for a minute, Simon?" Her voice was quiet and worried. I hated that I had her worried. If anything I should have been worried about her.

Simon shrugged in silence but removed himself from the room before Chloe even stepped in. I don't think he was fully over the fact that she had chosen me over him. I still don't know if _I_ believe it. No one ever chose me over Simon.

"Are you sure you're ok?" She closed the door behind her and I closed my eyes as she moved towards me.

"I told you I was fine earlier." My reply was a little blunt, but I really didn't want her worrying about me. The more Chloe lost her thoughts to my well being the more likely she was to lose control over her abilities. We didn't need her raising any dead without my Dad here to fix things. I still didn't trust Lucas to be able to protect us.

I heard her sigh and then felt the side of the bed drop down a bit as she sat beside me. There was a rough pull of animal instinct in me that wanted to just forget about everything and kiss her right then. I wanted her to know how much I wanted her and how much I'd sacrifice just to keep her safe. Unfortunately the uneasy awkward teenager in me still didn't know how to go about being romantic.

"I think we'll be ok here. It doesn't feel like Lyle House or the safe house Andrew brought us to." I could tell she was trying her best to sound convincing. "I don't think your Dad would have left us if he thought we'd be in danger."

Again I merely grunted out a noise that didn't deny or confirm her assumptions. I wanted to believe my Dad. Believe me; I really did.

There was another beat of silence between us before I felt her shift on the bed again and place her head in the middle of my chest. I could hear her heart beat beneath the tee shirt she was wearing, and I was certain she could hear mine pick up in time to match her own.

"Ya know…without my Aunt here we can finally spend some time alone." She whispered again, "We won't have any disruptions or distractions…no one to really stop us from being together."

For the first time in a few days I actually chuckled; I felt her head move slightly as my chest vibrated. "You don't think Lauren or my Dad told Lucas to watch out for us?" I asked with my eyes still closed. I managed to snake my arm around her shoulders while she laid on me.

This made Chloe laugh a bit and shift again so she was squirming up closer to my face. "Lucas went to sleep a half hour ago. He said he had a meeting in the morning." She kissed the side of my face and the animal inside of me snapped.

I was hovering over her before she had a chance to move which cause for a lot of shifting of clothing and the yelp from Chloe as I scared the hell out of her. I wasn't usually so assertive in my advances towards her, but she drove me crazy half the time and for once I was finally able to act on it without someone barging in to stop us. Well unless of course Simon came back which would likely result in me physically removing him from the room.

I kissed her hard and deep for the first time since that afternoon we spent alone in the hotel room. Most of our other kisses were stolen and brief but this was a kiss that I had been harboring inside of me for weeks; months even. She kissed me back with the same fervor and I held myself above her with my forearms to keep from crushing her beneath me.

I didn't plan on pushing her any further then making out, but the longer we kissed and the longer she stayed beneath me on that bed had my head caught up in a tangle of other images; images of us beneath the blankets and of roaming hands and prodding fingers. Chloe's breath was short and ragged as we kissed, my own breath catching from time to time but never stopping my mouth from moving against hers. I had just found the nerve to slip one of my hands beneath the bottom of her shirt when the telephone beside the bed jolted me out of my adventure to the promise land.

I still hovered over her, but both of us stared at the phone while we waited for the click to indicate someone had picked up. It rang again. And again. Again.

Finally on the tenth ring I rolled to the side of the bed and swung myself in a sitting position. It took a lot of restraint for me to keep from yelling my hello into the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked, my breathing still coming up short as I spoke.

"Hello?" Came the male voice on the other end. "Cortez residence?" The voice didn't sound as though it was questioning me even if they asked for confirmation.

"Yeah." Was all I replied with.

There was a tick of silence on the other end that immediately had my nerves on end. I was about to hang up and organize a break out when the man on the other end of the phone cleared his throat again.

"Is this Derek?"

I didn't answer; just gripped the phone tightly until my knuckles began turning white.

"Derek, this is Jeremy Danvers." Pause. "Pack Alpha…I'd – I'd like to meet with you son."

I hung up the phone before he could say another thing.

* * *

So let me know what you think. If you don't know who Jeremy Danvers, Paige, Lucas or Savannah are then you NEED to read Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. Let me know if I should take this short and turn it into something more. Also, what do you want to see next? !


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